Chapter Seven:

There was a knock on Professor Benedict’s door, he wasn't expecting guests but he called them in anyway. It was one of his students.

“Ah, Christopher. What can I do for you today?” he said.

“Dean Ambrose sent me. There’s been a council meeting called.”

“How unusual. When has it been called for?”

“Um, now, Sir.” Professor Benedict’s eyebrows rose. It must be an urgent matter, the council usually only met one day a month.

“Well then, I guess I better be on my way,” he said calmly. There was no need to alarm the students if there was some sort of emergency. “Thank you Chris.”

Most of the council was already seated when Professor Benedict arrived. As he took his seat he noticed another person in the room; a foreign woman with dark skin and the hair on the left side of her head braided. The rest of her hair hung in thick, glossy waves to her waist where a short dagger hung. She had a crescent shaped line tattooed across her chin, a mirror to the curve of her lower lip, with a single dot underneath it. In addition to the dagger, twin swords were strapped to her back. It was unusual for a woman to carry such weapons in the Lowlands, perhaps that isn't the case for Northerners, thought Professor Benedict.

The swords themselves were very different to what you would find in the South. Benedict could see that the handles had a crescent shaped guard protruding from the side under which, the fingers would sit. Presumably they were used to protect the hands from anyone chopping at the side of the weapon. The pommel was also tipped with a short, broad blade.

When the entire council had arrived and taken their seats, Professor Manford stood to address them.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm sure you are wondering why I called this meeting on your day off. May I introduce Enfeitar Naeva of the Fifth. She has a message that I think we should all hear.” All eyes turned towards the woman standing against the wall of the room. She nodded to Professor Manford when he gestured for her to address the assembled council and moved to stand at one end of the long table they were seated at.

“Gentleman,” she addressed them in the common tongue. “I come bearing a message from my Prophet and ruler Rei Nael. He has sent people of my tribe across the continent bearing the same message. I myself have travelled to three cities to give them this message and now I come to you. War comes to our shores and it threatens both the Lowlanders and the Northern Tribes.”

Commotion broke out amongst the seven council members. Some took this message as a declaration of war from the Genti, others wanted to know how Rei Nael knew of an upcoming war, what information did he have to prompt this warning?

As the councilman that called the meeting it fell to Professor Manford to preside over the meeting and so it was him who called for order.

“Enough,” he commanded. “You should know better than to conduct this way, in front of a guest no less! I’m sure Enfeitar Naeva will address your concerns if you let her finish.” Naeva nodded her thanks and turned her amber eyes on the rest of the council, making eye contact with each of them in turn.

“This war does not come from the Tribes, but from across the North Seas, from Somal. It has been foretold that if these savages breach the Genti coast, the entire continent will fall.”

“I hardly think the entire continent is at risk, even if this wild claim is true.” This came from Professor Calloway, the school’s treasurer. He tended to be mistrustful of strangers and things he was not familiar with, but he held a lot of sway with many of the other council members. “The Somali have not ventured south for generations. Besides, unlike the North, Ianterra is well protected. ” The council murmured in agreement. Everyone was aware of the Tribes’ lack of armies. The Lowland city-states, however, each had permanent armies protecting them from any overly ambitious neighbouring Lowland countries.

“The coast is the continent’s best line of defence,” Naeva said, assured of her own position. She had faced these same objections in the last three Lowland cities she’d traveled to. “If the invaders take that, we will not be able to stop them overrunning the rest of Genticus, and if the north falls, so will the Lowlands.”

“And how do you know of this invasion?” Professor Calloway changed tact abruptly. “Is your information reliable?”

“Every person in the entire North with the gift of sight has seen a disaster approaching. The Prophet of the Fifth was skilled enough to deduce the threat was coming from Somal, over the North sea. This has been confirmed by our most talented seers. Even Prophet Healani of the First, the greatest seer of our generation, warns of the threat approaching. It was she who saw the importance of defending our coast.”

Professor Calloway interjected again, “Prophesy? We are supposed to believe that the greatest threat of the decade is approaching because a couple of mad women read it in the stars?” Naeva clenched her jaw, her left hand falling to the hilt of the dagger.

“Oh please, Calloway,” interjected Professor Benedict. “Just because you don't understand something doesn’t mean it has no basis in fact. Everybody here knows that the Northerners have certain gifts. The Northern boy, Navihm has displayed them himself. Is it really so far fetched to think that foresight is in the realm of possibility?”

“We should not put stock in a fairy tale. Where is the proof!”

“With all due respect,” interjected Naeva, “I am here to warn you of the danger, not to convince you of it. If you have no further questions…” She spread out her hands to the assembled men.

“Wait,” interrupted Professor Calloway. “What reason do you have for issuing this warning? Why should we trust you?”

“This affects the Lowlands as well as the Tribes. It is my duty to warn you and costs me nothing I am not willing to give. It is also the belief of my Prophet, Rei Nael that we are stronger together, a belief I share. He has foreseen that it is only through forces that had not been united before working together that we are able to fight off these invaders. I am offering to you an alliance forged for our mutual benefit, out of respect for your country.”

“I have a hard time believing that you are doing this out of ‘respect’ or for our ‘mutual benefit’ or whatever other bull-” Whatever Professor Calloway was going to say was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Navihm.